Kentville Multicultural Festival’s Biggest Year Yet!

Kentville Multicultural Festival’s Biggest Year Yet!
Submitted

Celebrating its fifth year, the Kentville Multicultural Festival is set
to impress on Saturday, August 24, 10am-4pm in Kentville’s Centre Square. This family-friendly event is free to attend, and showcases music, dance, art, food, stories, and traditions from diverse communities living in the Annapolis Valley and beyond.

The main stage will welcome Indigenous rock and spoken word group Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers again this year, as well as new acts FIL Connection (a Filipino rock band), ViBeat Dance Studio (Bollywood and folk dances from India), Sébastien Dol (French, Acadian, and Cajun music), the Aisling Highland Dancers, the Maritime Centre for African Dance, the Chinese Culture & Art Club, and more!

The festival also features a wide array of food and marketplace vendors. Attendees can choose from authentic cuisine, including Chinese, Jamaican, German, Middle Eastern, British, and Indian. The marketplace will include Indigenous art, beautiful garments from around the world, henna art, meditation demonstrations, an Eritrean coffee ceremony, chalk artists, activities for children, drum circles, and plenty more to fill a day for the whole family.

There will also be representation of diverse groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the mental health and abilities communities present at the festival this year. In addition, there will be an after-hours event at Maritime Express Cider Co. featuring flamenco guitarist Roland Smith, sangria cider, and a tapas menu.

Kate Adams has worked for the festival for three years, and as co-chair of the planning committee, she is excited about how the festival has grown: “The festival is a feast for all the senses and a celebration of the diversity, resilience, and curiosity of our community. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our art, music, and traditions and ultimately to honour the sameness of all people across all cultures.”

Organized by the Kentville Business Community, the Kentville Multicultural Festival aims to provide a safe space for all citizens to celebrate and share their culture. It is an opportunity to recognize the Town of Kentville’s current cultural milieu, which is a confluence of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and people of all abilities and socio-economic backgrounds. Through the spread of ideas and information, and the exchange of cultural practices and traditions, the Multicultural Festival hopes that all people can feel welcome in the Town of Kentville.

For further information visit: kentvillemulticulturalfestival.ca